Comments

douglam: *laugh* I don't try to run it close to empty, but it always scares me when the light comes on. For whatever reason it makes me feel like I need to get to a gas station in the next 500 feet or my car will die.

I've been thinking about getting the cargo tray also so I'll check availability when I get the cruise fixed. Anything else I should ask about?

Just picked up my new P5! I seem to like the car more and more each time I drive it. All the info found here helped tremendously thanks for the posts. I was in need of a new work car and this fit the bill perfectly. I shopped everything in its class and some that were a lot more $$$. This was the last car I test drove. I almost didn't even do that as it looked like it would be small on the inside. Boy was I wrong. There is a lot of room especially in the foot well. Couldn't beat the deal either. Was able to get the car for $350.00 over invoice with the 3.9% financing and $500.00 college grad money making the net deal $150.00 below invoice not sticker! Was considering the Matrix/Vibe the P5 is way better. I can't get over how well it handles. Now I know why the miata is so popular. What a great car.

You can drive until there's 1 gallon left if you want. The light does exactly what it's supposed to...it's a WARNING light...I would be pissed if the light came on and suddenly the car stopped because there was no gas.

so i took my blue 5spd moonroof pro5 down to raleigh over easter from Pittsburgh to visit some friends. got about 31 mpg for the trip and that was cruising at 75-80 most of the way.

the best part of the trip however was when i got stopped in parking lot in raleigh by a lady asking how i liked my car. she was interested in buying one, loved the way it looked, and so i was able to just go off and tell her how much i loved my car and every detail that i loved about it and that she should go out right now and buy one :-)

btw, i'm turning 25 this month and wish i could keep this car in beautiful mint condition until i die.

Hey, does anybody have a guess on why P5 insurance would be higher than similar wagons?

I'm considering P5 (It's way in the lead), Subaru (Impreza) Outback Sport and the Toyota Matrix.

All insurance companies seem to charge about 10 percent more for the P5.

Oh, and another reason not to let the gas tank drain completely is that it's possible for sediment or trash in the bottom of the tank to get sucked into the fuel system. I'm sure this was a bigger problem on older cars...

boopoppa, good to hear you are still enjoying your car, don't see ya around here so much anymore.

congrats wardie1, it is amazing how big the inside of the car feels. At 6'-2 and with a moonroof, I don't feel cramped inside at all.

fuel tank light is somehwhat unnecesary for me. I have always filled up at 1/4 tank, and I pay attention to it, I don't really need a light to tell me to do it. As for waiting till you have a gallon left to fill up? Thats fine, but don't get stuck anywhere. I was on the turnpike once a few years back and was getting low on gas. I passed up a station since the sign said 50 miles to the next one, I figured no problem. Well when I got to the next one it was closed for repair! Ugh, I'm about on empty! I pretty much coasted into the next station, but ever since then I never push it that far.

Insurance. It's weird. We talk about it all the time. When I was shopping the P5 was actually the cheapest to insure of my choices. The rates vary wildly around the country, ages, companies. It doesn't seem to follow any pattern.

One other thing to consider is that virtually all cars nowdays have in tank electric fuel pumps. These pumps rely on the gas in the tank to help keep them cool. Running the tank too low on a regular basis can result in premature failure of the fuel pump. This generally results in a vehicle that won't start or stops running, generally requiring a tow to the repair facility. If the vehicle is out of warranty, this is not an inexpensive repair. One reason they give you a larger tank but have the light come on when it does is to give a decent mileage range while still retaining a sufficient supply of fuel to cool the pump.

Anyone considered reverse plus sizing of their P5 wheels? I mean keeping the outer circumference the same and going from the standard 16" rims to say 14" and a higher profile tire say 65 or 70 series? The reason I would want to do that is to improve the ride a little and make the car look less flashy to deter theft. But I'm having trouble finding 14" rims in the aftermarket. Seems everyone is plus sizing but no one is minus sizing.

I looked at minus-sizing for my LX (from 15 to 14 inch) for winter tires. I've heard that Wal-mart has cheap steel rims...they won't look pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but they should work.

If you're on an incline, the fuel may shift away from the pump inlet, causing you to stall. This happened to me. Luckily, there was a service station below and behind me (and there wasn't anybody behind me), so I just shifted into neutral and coasted in. Braking & steering were harder w/o power assist, but I got next to a pump just fine. I was lucky that time. Since then, I've avoided getting below 1/4 tankful.

I'm seriously thinking about getting a Pro5 soon, and took my first test drive today. Overall, I was very impressed with the overall package, and thought the interior and controls were nicely done. The ride was a bit stiffer than I was anticipating, but it is well within the range of acceptability. One thing I noticed was a fairly long stroke to the clutch - and it seems to release almost all the way at the top of the stroke. Just something to get used to, I suppose. Two questions: I'm looking at a "base" car with a five speed and no options other than mats. There is a 750.00 cash back offer right now, but have any recent buyers found that dealers are willing to discount off MSRP? Also, bad experiences with a Focus have left me wary of new cars. Has anyone had any big problems with their cars worth mentioning? Thanks!

You mentioned that you were told there would be a turbo Pro5 by around summer. I was told turbo sedans this spring - but obviously that has been pushed back to fall. Were you told summer a long time ago? I'm wondering if Ford financial problems and/or 9/11 have pushed back the timetables for all mazdaspeed-developed vehicles.

Anyone else hear about a turbo P5? I've seen nothing on this. Some say only the sedan will get the turbo (unfortunate as a P5 with better mileage and not quite the power could take some sales from the WRX)

Not one single problem in the first 2300 miles. It's still very much a Japanese car, so the quality still seems to be there.

You shouldn't have too much trouble getting a discount off MSRP. I talked to two dealers, one wouldn't move more than $100, so I used autobytel and that dealer went to $300 over invoice (if I remember correctly) without a haggle. Check Edmunds TMV and go at it.

The cool thing about this car is that it's not really new. It's just new to us. The car has been sold in Europe and Japan (and other markets) for quite a while. All the cars are manufactured in Hiroshima I believe.

Since the P5 and Pro sedan are so mechanically similar (shorter exhaust system perhaps?), it shouldn't be that difficult to retrofit the P5 a la Mazdaspeed. Maybe they haven't gotten a "hot" response when sending out their feelers. Well, they definitely got a strongly positive response from me.

I hadn't thought about the brake clearance issue before. I know the 2001 LX uses 14" so I thought maybe I could put 14" on the P5. One problem I did notice is the 4 lug vs. 5 lug issue. The LX and DX seem to use 4 lug wheels while the ES and P5 use 5 lug. I wonder if that has something to do with the brakes also.

If there are other suspension mods possible that would soften the ride I would be interested in that also. I like the way the car drives but if it were possible to make it ride softer I would probably look into making those mods even if it meant some sacrifice in the road holding dept.

I believe the Protege sedans have smaller brakes, that's why it can fit 14". But don't take my word for it. Just make sure it fits before making any purchase.

As for softening the ride, I think a temporary fix would be to let some air out of the tires. The recommended pressure is 32PSI, so I would try to do 31 PSI. Any lower may significantly increase tire wear. And once you've done that, don't forget to do a check on tire wear once in a while.

On a side note, I've heard that some dealers forgot to let air out of the tires before handing the keys to the owners, so the owners were running at 45-50PSI!!! I can't imagine how hard the ride would be!!! (FYI, they over-inflate the tires during shipping to prevent getting any flat spots)

"If you're driving in cold weather, it's recommended that you keep your gas tank full most of the time to prevent moisture from building up in the tank."

ah, i didn't know that. but leaving in south florida that would be the last of my concerns had a family bbq on sunday at a park on the beach. as i was walking away from the car, there was a couple walking towards me and my car. the women said "wow, look at that yellow car" (yes she was talking about my car as it was they only yellow car there). and the guy that was walking with her said "yap, thats a lexus". i never laughed so hard in my life but it made me fee so good. maybe i should have said "its better than a lexus"

and about 2 weeks ago at a local cruise spot, and older guy and his parents were walking by my car and the guy says "look at the matrix". haha. i almost slapped him.

was it on this forum that somebody asked if the 15k service is worth it? what do you guys think? i am conteplating the same thing but i figured that its not. i can check my wipers, lights, air filter, fluids and such my self. and lubricating door hinges, the dealer does that for me free when i get an oil change. btw, how often should a k&n filter be cleaned. i assume every oil change. how much oil should i use when re-oiling the filter?i have to renew my insurance soon and GE told me 1900 for 1 year. i am 22 and in 5 years of driving have no tickets or accidents. i'll probably call them and tell them to knock off another 500 and then i will renew. for comparison, my moms 2002 rav4 (bought 3 weeks ago) is only about 600 to insure for 1 year. she is 41 and has been driving for only 3 years or so with 1 (not at fault) accident. you see go figure what those insurance companies want. its time government stepped in.

btw, if you guys get tired of my long posts, please let me know. in my experience going from 32 to 31 will not make a difference in handling or ride comfort. i acttually would love to try out 45psi but thats not what mazda recommends so i am afraid it will actually cause poor "driveability"

14 inch rims will fit. The winter tires that I have just removed were 185 65 R14 and there was no problem fitting them around the brakes. Many tire stores up here in Montreal were recommending this size because it's cheaper than the 195 55 R15. Now I'm glad I could take them off because the car looks amazing with the stock wheels on and it just looked ordinary with the 14"'s.By the way, Male 36 silver, and loving the ride!

The filter is guaranteed (except for abuse/misuse) for a million miles, if I remember correctly. Mine is in the mail (hopefully), and I'll let people know whether it helps any with my anaemic but gutsy 1.5l engine! When it is washed every 30-50K, you are supposed to reapply the red K&N filter oil, which is what actually trapsstuff (not the paper/cloth!). So, no, it isn't cheaper to change filters repeatedly!

The song can be found in the files section of the mazdaprotege club on groups.yahoo.com

The instruction says it also depends on the conditions you drive in. If you drive in very dusty/sandy places, it's recommended that you wash it more often. But it also says that the dirt trapped in the filter actually helps to filter out more stuff, so a "too clean" of a filter might be bad also (more dirt passing through), besides wasting money. So definitely DON'T wash it at every oil change.

And yes, do remember to reapply the filter oil after you've washed it.

Its a Miata Special Edition page, but if you GO NEAR THE BOTTOM , it has a link for the "Zoom Zoom" song. For those who didnt know, the "Zoom Zoom" is actually taken from a real song. The song was taken from the soundtrack from "Only The Strong ".

Could you tell me what brand or who makes the 14" winter rims you got? I used to live in Rochester NY so I know what winter tires are all about but where I live now (southern california) no one has ever heard of winter tires let alone winter. (-:

Sorry if this has been covered before, but does anyone know if the Pro5 engine can be fairly easily modded to bring it to MP3 specs? What is involved in doing so? Also, has anyone fitted the Mazda sport muffler? Too much noise? Thanks!

going to make it this year. Timing is bad, I was hoping it would be in the fall, but thats not the case. It seems as though there is a lot of interest so it may be bigger than last year. I think it's cool Meade puts it together and I hope to attend one in the future.

I paid straight MSRP for mine on the first of Sept. and took the 4.9% finacing for 60 months. I'vee been doubling my payments though so it should be all mine in 3 years. :-) They were really scares up here when I was shopping, especially in 5-speeds with no options. I still feel it's worth every penny of MSRP.

Some dealers in larger areas are digging deeper now though. Edmund's TSV is $16,333 so I'd think anything around there is a "fair deal."

I'm looking at a white 5-speed car with floor mats as the only option (I dislike sunroofs, and don't really want ABS), and including the 750.00 cash back incentive we are at $15,539, which is 3% over actual invoice. I'm still thinking...

If you want a good deal from a dealer, negotiate the price of the car without taking into consideration any rebates. The rebates come from the manufacturer and do not effect the dealer's invoice. Many dealers will use the rebates to show how close to invoice you are getting a car, this is just smoke and mirrors and then they walk away with a huge profit! Negotiate down from MSRP and then add the rebate. Consumer Reports has stated that the average profit a dealer needs to make is $500 over invoice (obviously on some vehicles this is impossible). Also do not forget about dealer hold backs which is about $342 on the Protege5. I was able to get my Blue Protege5 for $16,200 (MSRP $17,900), all processing fees waived with $500 College Rebate, 3.9% fin. for 5 years. Options were alarm, sunroof, mats, wheel locks and cargo net. I had to play two dealerships off each other but it was worth it...

I started with actual invoice ($15815.00) and added 3% to get to $16289.00, THEN we deducted the $750.00 which gets me to $15539.00. This deal makes them $474.00 plus their holdback of 2%. I think it is a fair deal, but I'll probably push for a bit more

Hey folks, I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for their contributions to this board. I decided on the P5 months ago, but circumstances ($$) dictate that I have a few more weeks to go yet.

As depressing as it is to have to wait for what I think is a fantastic car, coming here and sharing in everyone's enthusiasm for their own P5s has definitely helped tide me over. Plus, I think it's a safe bet that when I do go to make the deal, I'll know at least twice as much about the car as any salesman.

Not sure where in Canada you are, but right now all the lots here in Calgary have tons of P5's sitting in their lots. You should be able to get a good deal...also, Mazda Canada just started that Spring Breaktrhough Event thing...Looks like decent financing rates...but no 0.0% like in the States

I'm in Winnipeg. There's a fair number on the lots here too, although I haven't stepped mfoot in a dealership in about two months.

A co-worker recently picked up a silver P5 with a/c and automatic for $22,000 including everything but taxes. That sounded decent, although I would substitute the sunroof for the automatic. Does that sound like a reasonable price to any Canadians on the board?

Some have said as much, now it was Mazda's turn.I asked about a mazdaspeed P5, and Mazda said...

"Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you.

You've inquired about the availability of a Mazda Protege5 turbo version. Unfortunately, Mazda has no plans on producing a Protege5 turbo version at this [time]."

Some here said as much. We can debate whether they would say yes even if planning the car, as that might hold people off from buying what is on the market (or in the pipeline). But given emphasis on the Mazda6 and RX8 (note you have to dig to find mazdaspeed as mazdausa.com), it doesn't sound like a P5 turbo is in the works. Too bad - more sales they could have had.

Some have said there was a debate at Mazda regarding whether to go forward with a mazdaspeed p5. I've seen no details about this.

We need an engine upgrade option rather than special edition cars. Anyone hear if Racing Beat has made more progress with muffler or other performance-related parts for the P5? Nothing new on their website.